... Japanese culture is ubiquitous in major cities across Canada with its popularity apparent in areas such as food/cuisine, fashion, video games and technology. But Japanese music gets little to no recognition at all. Which is unfortunate since Tokyo secretly harbors what is arguably the most exciting music scene in the world. Compared to their North American counterparts Japanese musicians tend to be more adventurous when it comes to song-writing and especially in live performances. Females also play a much more prominent role on-stage, in the audience and as sound technicians. Tokyo’s independent and underground music scene has an ebullient energy and freshness that is highly addictive and without peer.

Next Music from Tokyo is a non-profit cross-Canada tour showcasing the best independent and underground music from Japan. This is a not-to-be-missed event. Vol. 2 was named concert of the year by the Montreal Mirror in 2010. Vol. 3 included a sold-out show at the Rivoli which made BlogTO’s list of Toronto’s best concerts in 2011. Vol. 3 also made the top three concerts of VanMusic.ca list.

Volume 4 boasts the best line-up yet headlined by one of the most critically acclaimed and important bands in Japan: ZAZEN BOYS.

ZAZEN BOYS is the current band of legendary singer/guitarist Mukai Shutoku. Mukai’s former band Number Girl is renowned as one of the most important and influential bands in Japanese rock history. Whereas, Number Girl followed a progressive yet straight forward alt-rock sound akin to Sonic Youth and the Pixies. ZAZEN BOYS is the vehicle for pushing the boundaries of Mukai’s creative and experimental genius.

Praha Depart’s music is a fusion of psychedelic rock, metal and shoegaze with a tribal/folk beat. Something The Japan Times describes as “irrepressibly danceable gypsy punk.”
The instrumentation and female vocals ebb and flow between darkly serene to ferocious crescendos of emotion and noise. Already revered in Tokyo’s underground, Praha Depart ventured to the US in 2011 playing multiple shows in New York and Philadelphia followed by a European tour with 11 shows in Slovenia, France, Spain, Netherlands and Germany.

Charan-Po-Rantan consists of two beautiful sisters: Momo on vocals and Koharu on accordion/chorus. Koharu says she was born playing the accordion which made labour and delivery quite painful for her mother. All kidding aside, Koharu Matsunaga is an internationally acclaimed accordion player having won numerous competitions. She was National Grand Champion in 2009 and represented Japan at the International Finals of the V-Accordion festival in Rome, Italy. Almost as formidable as her prowess on accordion is Koharu’s razor sharp wit. Koharu’s story-telling and comedic banter during emcee breaks is frequently the highlight of Charan-Po-Rantan’s shows.
However, when backed by their supremely talented support band CANCAN BALKAN, Charan-Po-Rantan’s already potent stage performance is exalted to an awe-inspiring level. CANCAN BALKAN will be accompanying Charan-Po-Rantan on the NMFT tour.
group_inou is a duo comprised of producer Imai and emcee CP. Imai deconstructs chip tune, hip hop, kraut rock and noise to create strikingly fresh dance instrumentals that seem to come straight out of an 80’s video game. CP ‘s vocals flow with an absurdly broad range in style of playful rapping, singing and occasional screaming.

Future Events

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